City of Charlotte Selects Alcatel-Lucent to Deploy Public Safety LTE Mobile Broadband Network

CHARLOTTE, N.C. and PARIS, Oct. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 26, 2011, the City of Charlotte Council approved a contract with Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) to deploy a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Public Safety Network in the dedicated Public Safety 700 MHz frequency spectrum. The state-of-the-art broadband network will increase the reliability of critical incident management data for all first responders in Mecklenburg County and greatly improve the ability of networks supporting area first responders in communicating with other local and national law enforcement and emergency response agencies. It will also enable 21st century tools such as mobile video, field use of finger print and face recognition applications, and enhanced medical interoperability between first responders and hospitals.

"We are excited about our partnership with Alcatel-Lucent and what this technology will mean to the citizens of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County," says Charles Robinson, Key Business Executive for the City's Business Support Services.

The City carefully evaluated vendor proposals to deploy the network and selected one that would best meet the performance requirements of the 4G LTE network and the City's need for operational and maintenance support. Alcatel-Lucent was awarded the contract because of their proven experience in implementation, operations and support of cellular infrastructure technology. They will provide a complete end-to-end LTE solution to the City.

"Charlotte will be among the very first cities in the world to officially deploy the most advanced wireless broadband technology for Public Safety communications, which means that local emergency workers will be quicker to respond in critical situations, and better able to save lives," said Robert Vrij, President of Alcatel-Lucent's Americas Region. "The fact that the City of Charlotte chose our hosted LTE model for this critical network underscores the confidence and trust they have in our technology, abilities and people."

The 4G LTE Public Safety Network will be funded primarily by the $16.7 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant which was awarded to the City in August 2010 by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The City expects to complete deployment of the network by July 2013.

About the City of Charlotte

The City of Charlotte provides service to more than 650,000 residents with a focus on Housing & Neighborhood Development, Community Safety, Transportation, Economic Development and the Environment. Visit www.charmeck.org for complete City and County directory assistance.

About Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU)

The long-trusted partner of service providers, enterprises, strategic industries and governments around the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a leader in mobile, fixed, IP and Optics technologies, and a pioneer in applications and services. Alcatel-Lucent includes Bell Labs, one of the world's foremost centres of research and innovation in communications technology.

With operations in more than 130 countries and one of the most experienced global services organizations in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach.

The Company achieved revenues of Euro 16 billion in 2010 and is incorporated in France and headquartered in Paris.